Aaron Cohen, a spokesman for the campaign, says that Carroll’s candidacy is historic, as their research with advocacy groups such as the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network shows Carroll is the first openly gay veteran to run for public office in the nation since the repeal in September.

Carroll, a Democrat, has served in the U.S. Army for seven years and did two tours in Afghanistan and one in Iraq.

Gov. John Hickenlooper spoke briefly to about 30 Occupy Denver protesters this morning. With a handful of hecklers following Hickenlooper as he made his way back to the state Capitol, The Denver Post caught up with the governor.

“I will truly miss working with Senator Kopp,” said Senate Minority Leader Bill Cadman. “He is a great statesman, colleague and a personal friend. He has been an incredible leader who laid a solid foundation for our caucus to continue moving forward.

“Restoring our economy means jobs…period. Our next legislative session needs to focus on removing barriers to business and impediments to prosperity.”

Gov. John Hickenlooper Wednesday night was questioned about what he was going to do about the group of protestors who were camping overnight outside of the state Capitol, telling reporters from 9News that he doesn’t want to violate anyone’s constitutional rights to assemble but he also wants to keep them safe. The Hickenlooper interview portion of the video above begins shortly past the two-minute mark.

Correction: In my haste earlier, I referred to Denver’s mayor as “John” Hancock, not hizzoner, Michael. I have corrected this. Apologies to Hancocks living and dead.

Update:Gov. John Hickenlooper, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and Attorney General John Suthers are holding an 11:30 a.m. press conference to talk about the Occupy Denver situation. We will keep you updated.

State Sen. Greg Brophy, R-Wray, slammed Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper today, saying the governor needs to immediately clear tent-camped protesters out of a state-owned park around the Capitol.

“All of Colorado is watching, and the governor has already set a dangerous precedent by allowing this to happen,” said Brophy, who slammed the governor Wednesday in a column on a conservative blog in which he said a “smelly hippie” might hurt someone.

“He cannot avoid his duty and responsibility to enforce the law,” Brophy said in the statement released this morning. “The First Amendment guarantees the right to free speech, not the right to trespass. He needs to take action immediately and end this circus before matters get worse.”

Hickenlooper and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock on Wednesday evening issued a joint statement saying they were still trying to determine what to do about the protesters, who have erected more than 40 tents since the Occupy Denver event started two weeks ago. [Note: Reports this morning say there are now more than 60 tents in the park.]

WASHINGTON — Colorado’s House delegation mostly approved the three new trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea — except Democrat Rep. Ed Perlmutter, who said they will ensure the loss of thousands of jobs in Colorado.

The three separate agreements passed Wednesday night.

“At a time when we should be building jobs here in our country, these trade agreements are the wrong proposals at the wrong time,” Perlmutter said, in a statement. “At the grocery store, the coffee shop, and from calls and emails to my office, hundreds of hardworking Coloradans told me how these agreements could cause their jobs to be outsourced and shipped overseas.”

Rep. Diana DeGette, a Denver Democrat, voted for Panama and South Korea, but voted against the one with Colombia, citing the country’s lack of human and labor rights.

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.